WARNING... this chapter has details of abuse, rape, and torture which could be triggers for some people. Read on at your own risk.
"I... I don't know, something just snapped inside of me" she said with a heavy sigh. "I had a nightmare about... what happened to me and now I can't sleep. I can't think straight and I'm scared Negan. I'm scared all the time now and I don't know how to make it stop" she confessed as she fought back tears.
"You're safe now Darlin', you're safe here with me. You know I won't let any fucker hurt you" he assured her.
"I know... I know you won't, but I can't seem to switch off this overwhelming fear. I had to be so strong for so long, to the point where I feared nothing. But now, this fear is crippling. It gets so bad that I can't breathe. I feel like I'm suffocating".
"You've been through so fucking much Sky, it would be fucked up if it didn't haunt you in some way".
"Dr Blake says its PTSD, he said I need to talk about what happened to me in order to deal with it and be able to move forward" she told him as she wiped a stray tear from her eye.
"Then talk Darlin', talk to me. Tell me everything" Negan said.
"You don't want to hear about it all, trust me. It will only make you mad" she warned him.
"You're probably right, because the thought of anyone hurting you makes me fucking sick. It makes me fucking mad enough that I want to bring those sick bastards back from the fucking dead just so I can kill them again. But if it's going to help you... then I want to hear it. I need to hear it and you need to get it out"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive Darlin'" he smiled at her, still holding her in his arms. "Lay down" he told her as he lay back on her bed and she joined him so they were on their sides face to face. Holding her left hand tightly with his, he draped his right arm protectively over her body, pulling the blanket up to keep her warm in her almost naked state. "Whenever you're ready Darlin'"
"I was with the last two of my friends from my original group when they found me. In the beginning it was me and a group of friends from work. We were at the hospital when it all started. We made it to my parent's house, it was the closest place any of us knew. With my Mom and Dad we fled the city, picking up a few strays along the way. But over time we lost people, gained more, lost more... you know how it goes. My mom died early, my dad stayed around a little longer, until he got bitten... I had to put him down" she told him, tears welling up in her eyes and she did her best to keep them away.
"I'm sorry Darlin'" he said as he rubbed her back soothingly, showing more of his gentler side.
"When this group found us we were weak and starving. We hadn't eaten in days. The leader... he killed Bobby and Clay, just shot them both for no reason. And then I was all alone. They started right from day one, beating me, torturing me and raping me... all for their personal fun"
"Fucking assholes" Negan growled.
"Every day I fought them, and every day they would beat and torture me worse. They would take turns, one after the other like I was some damn carnival ride" she sobbed. "Eventually I was just tied up like some stray animal, it was easier for them, I couldn't fight back. Every day I wished that they would just kill me. Every single day for weeks on end I wished that I would die".
"I am so fucking sorry Darlin'..." he sighed as he struggled to keep his rage at bay. "Tell me how they tortured you" he said, trying to help her get it all out, even though he knew that every word that came out of her mouth was like his own personal torture.
